High expression of thymosin beta 10 predicts poor prognosis for hepatocellular carcinoma after hepatectomy

Meta-Analysis of Polymyositis and Dermatomyositis Microarray Data Reveals Novel Genetic Biomarkers

Polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM) are both classified as idiopathic inflammatory myopathies. They share a few common characteristics such as inflammation and muscle weakness. Previous studies have indicated that these diseases present aspects of an auto-immune disorder; however, their exact pathogenesis is still unclear. In this study, three gene expression datasets (PM: 7, DM: 50, Control: 13) available in public databases were used to conduct meta-analysis. We then conducted expression quantitative trait loci analysis to detect the variant sites that may contribute to the pathogenesis of PM and DM. Six-hundred differentially expressed genes were identified in the meta-analysis (false discovery rate (FDR) < 0.01), among which 317 genes were up-regulated and 283 were down-regulated in the disease group compared with those in the healthy control group. The up-regulated genes were significantly enriched in interferon-signaling pathways in protein secretion, and/or in unfolded-protein response. We detected 10 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) which could potentially play key roles in driving the PM and DM. Along with previously reported genes, we identified 4 novel genes and 10 SNP-variant regions which could be used as candidates for potential drug targets or biomarkers for PM and DM.

Thymosin β 10 is overexpressed and associated with unfavorable prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma

Thymosin β 10 (TMSB10) has been demonstrated to be overexpressed and function as an oncogene in most types of human cancer including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In our study, we present more evidence about the clinical significance and biological function of TMSB10 in HCC. First, we observed levels of TMSB10 expression were obviously increased in HCC tissues compared with normal liver tissues at The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets. Furthermore, we confirmed that TMSB10 mRNA and protein levels were also increased in HCC tissue samples compared with normal adjacent normal liver tissue samples. In addition, we found high TMSB10 expression was remarkably associated with the advanced tumor stage, large tumor size, distant metastasis, and poor prognosis, and acted as an independent factor for predicting poor overall survival in HCC patients. Loss-of-function studies suggested silencing of TMSB10 expression dramatically reduced cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in HCC. In conclusion, TMSB10 may hold promise as a tumor biomarker for predicting prognosis and a potential target for developing a novel therapeutic strategy.

Cholangiocarcinoma‑associated genes identified by integrative analysis of gene expression data

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is characterized by delayed diagnosis and poor survival rate. Research efforts have focused on novel diagnostic technologies for this type of cancer. Transcriptomic microarray technology is a useful research strategy for investigating the molecular properties of CCA. The objective of the present study was to identify candidate biomarkers with high potential for clinical application in CCA using a meta‑analysis‑based approach. Gene expression profiles of CCA were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database for integrated analysis. All differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were analyzed by Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment. Protein‑protein interaction (PPI) networks were further constructed, hub proteins were identified and functional modules were extracted. Following integrated analysis of the seven eligible datasets (428 cases and 46 controls), a set of 1,080 DEGs was identified, including 710 upregulated and 370 downregulated genes. Functional enrichment analysis demonstrated that 'chromosome organization' was a significantly enriched GO term in the biological process category. 'DNA replication', 'influenza A', and 'lysosome' were the top three significantly enriched KEGG pathways. Furthermore, PPI network analysis indicated that the significant hub proteins were histone deacetylase 1, cullin‑associated NEDD8‑dissociated protein 1, ubiquitin D, early growth response protein 1 and glycogen synthase kinase 3β. The majority of these proteins are involved in CCA. These results provided a set of targets that may help researchers to clarify further the underlying mechanisms of CCA tumorigenesis.

"Stealth dissemination" of macrophage-tumor cell fusions cultured from blood of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Here we describe isolation and characterization of macrophage-tumor cell fusions (MTFs) from the blood of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients. The MTFs were generally aneuploidy, and immunophenotypic characterizations showed that the MTFs express markers characteristic of PDAC and stem cells, as well as M2-polarized macrophages. Single cell RNASeq analyses showed that the MTFs express many transcripts implicated in cancer progression, LINE1 retrotransposons, and very high levels of several long non-coding transcripts involved in metastasis (such as MALAT1). When cultured MTFs were transplanted orthotopically into mouse pancreas, they grew as obvious well-differentiated islands of cells, but they also disseminated widely throughout multiple tissues in "stealth" fashion. They were found distributed throughout multiple organs at 4, 8, or 12 weeks after transplantation (including liver, spleen, lung), occurring as single cells or small groups of cells, without formation of obvious tumors or any apparent progression over the 4 to 12 week period. We suggest that MTFs form continually during PDAC development, and that they disseminate early in cancer progression, forming "niches" at distant sites for subsequent colonization by metastasis-initiating cells.

Changes in serum proteins after endotoxin administration in healthy and choline-treated calves

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to investigate the possible serum protein changes after endotoxin administration in healthy and choline-treated calves using proteomics. These results are expected to contribute to the understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of endotoxemia and the beneficial effect of choline administration in this clinical situation.

METHODS

Healthy-calves (n = 20) were divided into 4 groups: Control, Choline treated (C), Lipopolysaccharide administered (LPS), and LPS + C. Control calves received 0.9 % NaCl injection. Calves in C and LPS + C groups received choline chloride (1 mg/kg/iv). Endotoxin (LPS) was injected (2 μg/kg/iv) to the calves in LPS and LPS + C groups. Serum samples were collected before and after the treatments. Differentially expressed proteins (> 1.5 fold-change relative to controls) were identified by LC-MS/MS.

RESULTS

After LPS administration, 14 proteins increased, and 13 proteins decreased within 48 h as compared to controls. In the LPS group, there were significant increases in serum levels of ragulator complex protein (189-fold) and galectin-3-binding protein (10-fold), but transcription factor MafF and corticosteroid binding globulin were down regulated (≥ 5 fold). As compared with the LPS group, in LPS + C group, fibrinogen gamma-B-chain and antithrombin were up-regulated, while hemopexin and histone H4 were down-regulated. Choline treatment attenuated actin alpha cardiac muscle-1 overexpression after LPS.

CONCLUSIONS

LPS administration produces changes in serum proteins associated with lipid metabolism, immune and inflammatory response, protein binding/transport, cell adhesion, venous thrombosis, cardiac contractility and blood coagulation. The administration of choline is associated with changes in proteins which can be related with its beneficial effect in this clinical situation.

Silencing of survivin by YM155 induces apoptosis and growth arrest in hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Survivin overactivation is a frequent event in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), due to its function in the induction of hepatocyte proliferation and apoptotic dysfunction. Recently, a novel survivin inhibitor named YM155, has demonstrated broad antitumor effects against various malignant tumors. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore how this agent may impact on HCC and elucidate its underlying mechanism of action. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed on 8 specimens of human HCC, to assess the protein expression of survivin and phosphorylated retinoblastoma tumor suppressor (p-Rb). In addition, in vitro, HepG2 and Huh7 human HCC cell lines were exposed to 100 µM YM155 for up to 72 h and the cell viability was subsequently determined using MTT assay. Furthermore, the apoptotic status of YM155-treated HCC cells was investigated by flow cytometry, and the protein levels of survivin, procaspase-3 and p-Rb in YM155-treated HCC cells were assessed by immunoblotting analysis. The results demonstrated that HCC specimens expressed high levels of survivin and p-Rb protein compared with those of adjacent noncancerous liver tissues. In vitro, YM155 significantly induced HCC cell apoptosis and growth arrest. At the protein level, YM155 markedly inhibited survivin and p-Rb expression, and elevated procaspase-3. YM155 demonstrated significant antitumor effects on HCC cells in the present study. These effects were associated with its anti-proliferative and apoptosis-induction activities. YM155 requires further investigation as a novel agent for potential use as a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of HCC.